The battlefield was chaos incarnate.
Flames licked the temple walls, molten rivers carved new paths through the shattered courtyard, and screams of demons and monks alike echoed across the mountains.
Kanji stood at the center, black sword in hand, chains of shadow and molten fire swirling around him. His golden eyes glowed brighter than ever, but even his immense power was being tested.
The demon army was endless. Every demon he struck down seemed to be replaced by two more. The generals—seven colossal monsters—were relentless, tearing through wards and devouring anything in their path.
Rin screamed from behind a collapsing wall:
"Kanji! You can't hold them off forever!"
Seiji's talismans flared, but cracks already appeared in their magic.
"They're… overwhelming us!" he shouted.
Kanji gritted his teeth. He could feel the pulse inside him, the heartbeat that had guided him since his awakening.
The black sword throbbed in response. It was urging him… calling him… demanding more.
A deep, echoing voice sounded in his mind—older than time, darker than night:
"Heir… you have not yet touched the depths of your power. The forbidden lies within. Take it… and become unstoppable."
Kanji hesitated. The forbidden magic had a name whispered only in the oldest, most dangerous texts of wizardry: Demon-Wizard Fusion, a power so unstable it could consume the user completely, body and soul.
Ryou's voice cut through the chaos.
"Kanji! No! That power… it is not meant for mortals! Even your father feared it!"
But Kanji's heart burned with determination. Every monk, every innocent, every corner of the mortal realm depended on him. He could not falter.
"I… I have no choice," he whispered.
"For everyone… I will control it."
He closed his eyes, focusing on the black sword. Chains wrapped tighter around him, molten energy and shadow fusing, pulsing faster and brighter. He reached deep into the forbidden magic, letting it flow into him.
A surge exploded outward.
The molten aura intensified, red and gold lightning spiraling violently around him, forming a storm of energy that tore through the temple grounds.
The seven generals shrieked in fury, thrown back by the sheer force. Lesser demons were vaporized instantly, scattered into ash by waves of molten shadow.
Ravnos's voice echoed through the rift above, sharp and dangerous:
"So… you dare touch the forbidden. Interesting. Let us see if the heir can wield what even his father feared."
Kanji opened his eyes. They burned molten gold, streaked with red veins of raw demon power. The sword hummed with life, chains lashing outward uncontrollably, striking demons in every direction.
He felt it—the fusion of his wizard blood and demon heritage, magnified to an unimaginable scale. A deep, resonating roar escaped his chest as energy shot outward in waves, shaking the mountains, cracking the sky, and ripping the rift wider.
Rin and Seiji shielded themselves from the blast, barely keeping their footing.
"He… he's… he's using the forbidden magic!" Rin whispered, awe and fear mixing in her voice.
The generals roared, forming a barrier around Ravnos, but Kanji's aura crashed into them like a tidal wave. Lava erupted, mountains fractured, and shadows screamed in agony as the forbidden magic consumed everything in its path—but Kanji's control was absolute.
Ryou, standing in the midst of the chaos, whispered to himself:
"He's… he's controlling it… fully. The forbidden magic… contained within his will. Incredible…"
Kanji's sword glowed brighter than the sun, chains extending outward like tendrils of molten fire. He could feel the edge of reality bending, demons screaming, and the fabric between worlds trembling.
He had become a force beyond reckoning.
Not just a child, not just a half-demon, half-wizard.
He was the Child of Destruction—heir to the sword, bearer of forbidden magic, and the only one standing between the mortal realm and total annihilation.
Ravnos clenched his fists, rage burning hotter than lava.
"So… the heir awakens fully… very well. Let the war continue."
But even as Ravnos prepared his counterattack, Kanji's aura flared further, molten and gold light spiraling into a storm of unstoppable energy. The forbidden magic was not a curse tonight—it was salvation.
And with a roar that echoed across the rift, Kanji charged.
The battle had escalated beyond the mortal realm.
The true war had begun.
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